[transgendernews] [News] [CA, USA] Radical Women national conference ignites support for expanding socialist feminist movement
Stephanie Stevens
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Excerpt: Queer activists, eager to address more than same-sex
marriage, want to combine their issues with immigrant rights.
Attendees pledged to help a young woman from Arizona do just that. The
group also agreed to highlight transgender rights and organize to
support the New Jersey Four—Black lesbians being prosecuted for
defending themselves.
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Radical Women national conference ignites support for expanding
socialist feminist movement
November 20th, 2008
by Monica Hill, Seattle, Washington
The same October weekend Sarah Palin raised money in the Bay Area for
her multi-million-dollar Vice-Presidential campaign, more than 250
women and men met in San Francisco to chart a course for a feminist
movement — independent of the Republican and Democratic parties.
Participants traveled from Australia, Costa Rica, and Mexico, and from
eleven states across the United States to attend Radical Women's 41st
anniversary conference, The Persistent Power of Socialist Feminism.
The packed auditorium in the city's landmark Women's Building was a
tapestry of ethnicities and colors, feminists born in the United
States and many other places around the world, such as China, Iran and
Somalia.
Ranging in age from 14 to 87 years, many expressed a sense of urgent
responsibility to reverse the misery enveloping humanity worldwide.
Striking was the large number of young students and workers eager to
organize on the basis of socialist feminist politics.
Convened in the midst of the imploding U.S. economic crisis, the
four-day conference of keynotes and policy resolutions, panels and
workshops sparked intense discussion. The result—concrete action plans
to strengthen women's leadership in the social movements, to build
united fronts with other committed activists, and to foster solidarity
among working people at home and abroad. As Radical Women's sister
organization, the Freedom Socialist Party, noted in its greeting, "RW
plays an irreplaceable role in developing women's theoretical and
practical leadership and in bringing a revolutionary feminist voice to
all the movements."
"Women & revolution—alive & inseparable." In her opening keynote
address, celebrated poet and unionist Nellie Wong put it bluntly:
"This weekend, we continue the fight for women's liberation because
it's as necessary as breathing. The revolution is ours to make. It is
our greatest duty. It is our greatest joy."
Such sentiments permeated the event. One young Chicana described the
gathering in a writer's workshop: "Thunderous applause, tears of pride
and cheers of laughter empowered and emboldened those who came to
build the revolutionary feminist movement."
In her Friday night keynote, New York public defense attorney Lynne
Stewart advised, "The righteous response to oppression is to speak
out, fight back and confront. Make the movement too big to lock up!"
Stewart was convicted in 2005 of "supporting terrorism" by
representing an Egyptian client dubbed a "terrorist." She is appealing
the conviction.
Featuring a pro-labor and international agenda. One pivotal resolution
was For a U.S. feminist movement independent of the twin parties of
war and reaction. The author, Laura Mannen, an Oregonian bi-lingual
teacher and mother, promoted "organizing on the job where we are
already reviving union power and in every community and social
movement coalition where an army of grassroots women already
organizes." The point, she stressed, is to work together, not
separately.
A panel of union organizers told of hard-won victories and struggles
by janitors, bus drivers and university workers. They discussed how to
organize in the labor movement, and how not to. "When you want to
fight for something, brace yourself… For my children, I will do
anything," said Raquel Rodriguez, a Justice for Janitors strike
leader. Attendees affirmed a commitment to organize in the house of
labor, to agitate for democracy within unions and encourage them to be
active in the community, in antiwar mobilizations, in defense of
immigrants and on women's issues.
International perspectives reverberated throughout the conference.
Workers, feminists and youth groups from nine countries sent
supportive greetings. At a Saturday panel entitled "Magnificent
warriors: Female leadership in the global freedom struggle," Costa
Rican labor lawyer Patricia Ramos Con urged on U.S. feminists: "As
Latin American revolutionaries, we know that world revolution depends
on you. We're in the trenches and you're in the belly of the beast.
Your fight is our fight." Other panelists recounted the heroic
struggles by the women of Palestine, Mexico, China and Australia.
For immigrant, people of color and queer rights. Seattle Radical Women
president, Christina López, motivated Estamos en la lucha: Immigrant
women light the fires of resistance, the second major policy
resolution. A Chicana-Apache, López recounted the harsh impact of U.S.
immigration policies on women and children and heralded the leadership
of migrant women fighting for the right to survive around the world.
Radical Women members voted to step up defense of immigrants and to
send López on a national speaking tour to address these critical
issues.
A panel of Asian American, Black, white and Chicana/Latina members
spoke on "The galvanizing impact of multiracial organizing in a
society divided by racism." From its founding in 1967, emphasized
Emily Woo Yamasaki, New York City president of Radical Women, the
group has been a proponent of the idea that there can be no
revolutionary change without the leadership of women of color. How to
teach and practice this made for riveting discussion.
Queer activists, eager to address more than same-sex marriage, want to
combine their issues with immigrant rights. Attendees pledged to help
a young woman from Arizona do just that. The group also agreed to
highlight transgender rights and organize to support the New Jersey
Four—Black lesbians being prosecuted for defending themselves.
Moving into action. The conference concluded with a report and
proposals by National Organizer Anne Slater entitled, Rising to the
challenge of socialist feminism in a neoliberal world. Radical Women
members affirmed plans she outlined to maintain a strong national
organization and build chapters. The group decided to canvass in
workingclass neighborhoods to see what issues are of interest to
women, and then organize campaigns around those topics. Resolutions
were also passed in support of political prisoners including the San
Francisco 8, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Marilyn Buck, and Leonard Peltier in the
United States, Lori Berenson in Peru and Lex Wotton in Australia.
According to Slater, the decisions made illustrate that, "Armed with
dynamic ideas, principled politics, and a rich legacy of practical
organizing experience, Radical Women is ready to do what is needed.
Linking arms across age, race, gender, national and sexual orientation
lines, attendees departed eager to build a stronger, independent
women's movement. And, as their T-shirts expressed, it would
be—UNBOUGHT & UNBOSSED."
For information, contact: radical...@gmail.com • www.RadicalWomen.org
Filed Under: Socialist/left parties
(c) 2008 Independent Political Report
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